vrijdag 27 mei 2011

Radar is proud to present it's 10th exhibition ‘Street | Spirit’ where the artists Nisja and Marcel Ozymantra will show all new works. You are cordially invited to the vernissage on the 28th of May at 17.00.ThemeAt this double exhibition two talented painters are presented at gallery Radar for the second time. Each one approaches the city from his/her own viewpoint. Nisja searches for the often hidden and not apparent spirituality that pervades life in an urban situation. Ozymantra dives in the crypts of personal experience of somebody who has ventured half his life close to the asphalt. Where Nisja elevates from the profane, Ozymantra looks for the biographical. Where in Nisja’s case the colors almost dissolve, Ozymantra confronts with intense outbursts. They meet each other in the streets and have a conversation about what it means to be human in the city, one of the greatest inventions of humanity.The artistsMarcel OzymantraHis aim as always is finding the balance where paint becomes image and is still paint, but in these paintings Ozymantra let go the idea of an uniform style. He chooses eclectic from the wide range of possibilities accumulated during his 19 years of experience. Fantasy, photo and directly observed reality join into something that’s more. These different elements enter into an uneasy relationship. In this way he creates a new world in which everything has purposeful friction. Between these elaborated canvases others hang with a more simple slant. It’s like there are two artists, one brutally direct and the other mysterious and subtle, but a true clash is absent, for both approach the canvas with the same thoroughness. Through incidental repainting and lots of dripping he demolishes the image in the search for the freshness of improvisation.As subjects he uses divorce and confusion of the genders, mythical animal motives, helmets & masks, cityscapes of Amsterdam, India and other cities/places, the exaggerated superhero body.NisjaIn the paintings of the young Polish artist Nisja department stores, industries, block of flats, empty spaces, parking places and abandoned fields form fields of color as seen from a bird's-eye view. Some buildings are shown in architectural perspective, some as floor plans, with few seemingly random details. All are united by the magic of a silent equilibrium.This equilibrium seems precarious but at the same time it invites to meditation and contemplation of a world without time. Though this world is a reflection of places lived or seen by the artist and is not an ideal world, it's elements are not beautiful or eye-catching. The industrial agglomerations or the big dormitory quarters of post-socialistic cities seem rather symbols of a long gone or fake prosperity. In the paintings they have been transformed by the spirit of the artist through a process of purification, simplification and abstraction and put in a place that can’t be found on any map, ascetic and silent (like some of the images by Stanley Kubrick). It is a place made of voids and solids, without movement, sound or time. But it also is not a post-nuclear landscape. Life is apparent but is standing still for a moment of contemplation.They are interior landscapes that come to life through a sophisticated use of colours, transparencies, delicate lines and simple shapes.During the exhibition it's possible to listen to compositions that musician/composer Vera van der Bie made to accompany some of Ozymantra's paintings. She plays for, among other things, Quartet Quenetique (www.qq4.nl).

dinsdag 10 mei 2011

Over the years Andenken has worked with hundreds of artists. Yeah, we've been lucky...so lucky...along the way to work with artists from all over the world. We've had a few locations in a long tenure and no matter where we land we find the local talent and showcase a local scene...help where and when we can. Now, for the last 3 years Andenken has had a home in Amsterdam, and we've been again very lucky to meet and be graciously embraced by the local heroes. Yes, of course this is not every great artist in Amsterdam...how could you do that? But, we have managed to gather an amazing group of 'Distinguished Amsterdam Champions' for this marvelous exhibit.

Please join us Saturday May 14th for this large group show with work by some of the best in Amsterdam. Just check out the list: Hugo Kaagman, Wayne Horse, Morcky, Laser 3.14, OVNI, Lil'Shy, Ottograph, Ladies Fancywork Society, SIT, SjocoSjon, Joe Holbrook, Lennard Schuurmans, Lotte Klaver, ROYALSTEEZ, Hugo Mulder, MEK, Viva Muze, X-O, Bief. Pretty amazing group. Hope to see you out for the opening jam: Saturday May 14th 18:00 - 22:00 @ Andenken / Mather:Kunst = Bilderdijkkade 60, Amsterdam.

zaterdag 7 mei 2011

To celebrate 10 years of Laser’s writing, we've released a limited edition series of 100 original pieces on wood. Buy one and get a signed copy of Laser 3.14 Are You Reading me? book for free.
If you're interested in owning one drop me a mail and I'll send you a list of laser 3.14 quotes, that are still available, at laser3.14@gmail.com